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Original poster

How effective is your school's 'closure information' system?

32 replies

OnlyTeaForMe · 03/02/2009 17:45

Because I can't help feeling ours is rather pants...

It's a small independent school, so doesn't have the advantage of county council notices etc, but I still think it could have been better organised.

On Monday at 7.30 I got a call from one of DS2's teachers, who is also a friend, saying 'school's closed - tell everyone you know...' However she wasn't calling in an 'official capacity' - just as a mate.

I sent a text/ e-mail to all other mums in DS1's class, but I'm sure there must have been people who didn't find out.
There was nothing on the website.

At least today they have a notice on the website about going back tomorrow.

I feel I should suggest they have some proper system in place e.g. answerphone message/ website message/ text cascade....

What does yours do?

OP posts:

southeastastra · 03/02/2009 17:47

we have parentmail (i think that's what it's called). we get emails and text messages when the school is shut.

got one yesterday at 7.30 am nice and early. and one in the afternoon to say school was closed today too.

oh and just got another one to say open tomorrow

pagwatch · 03/02/2009 17:49

For DD we get emails and texts as well. Including updates about when they expect to be able to make the decision.

Ds2s info was on local radio and radio stations website ( thank god - I couldn't listen to that crap)

DS1's info was on the school website too but quite late to go up

fruitshootsandheaves · 03/02/2009 17:49

Our primary school has a pyramid system where each parent phones 3 others. However my list was obviously out of date as all my names had already been phoned by someone else!

Couldn't get on the website to check as it had crashed due to being too busy but the other 2 schools were on the schools closure list read out on radio suffolk.

MaryMotherOfCheeses · 03/02/2009 17:54

We had nothing. I was told by another mother as we walked to school.

Eventually it was on the BBC list.

I sort of thought there'd be a banner put on the website, or a voicemail message thing.

Peachy · 03/02/2009 17:56

Rubbish, it's a website which gets updated for Infants and no other system- and only one staff member can update website. Juniors- I have no idea how they'd tell us tbh, but they had a minimal-staff- day..... 3yeadhers (250 kids) and a lot of cartoons. And gave us the option of going home, so we fetched DS3 (his 1-1 teaching the class) and went to the barracks to play in the snow.

Jux · 03/02/2009 17:57

Complete pants. We got to the top of the road and a policeman told us the school was closed. DD's friend's mum rang them, but wouldn't have known otherwise (they were iced in, so couldn't have got there anyway). DD's friend's family across the road just assumed the school was closed. We didn't phone because we thought everybody would be and it's only round the corner, so if we turned up it would just be a snowball fight's walk back and would be fun.

saadia · 03/02/2009 18:04

Monday morning there was no info but I decided anyway not to take the dss to school when I heard that all buses were suspended, and I didn't want to drive. I was pretty sure it would be closed because they closed a couple of years ago when it snowed as well.

I called in and the secretary confirmed that it was closed. Later in the afternoon I received a text to say that it would be closed today, and then today received a text that it would be open tomorrow, so all in all I think not a bad system but could be better.

countesscaloriecounter · 03/02/2009 18:08

I had a text message from school at 1.15 this afternoon to say that school was closed today. Very helpful I'm sure.

SlightlyMadScotland · 03/02/2009 18:10

Ours is on the local radio station....along with 200 others so the whole radio station was taken over by school closures interspresed with a bit of news weather and travel which all related to teh snow.

BUT

The school governers clearly hadn't been told as he sent his kids to school!

southeastastra · 03/02/2009 18:11

this is parentmail ask your schools to get it, i'm not sure if it costs them anything, but it's really handy.

Sexonlegs · 03/02/2009 18:15

I heard nothing. I just turned up and thought it was rather quiet, so phoned from the car!

I am wondering where I can find this out as it will save a trip tomorrow morning!

Niecie · 03/02/2009 18:16

Not very good at all initially. Couldn't get through on the phone, no updates on the website and our school weren't mentioned on the local radio until they mentioned the Juniors at about 9am.

Parentmail failed - didn't get an email saying the school was closed until lunch time. Infant school website was not updated until then either. Juniors website is useless at the best of times.

We didn't actually bother to go to school in the end because we live next to them and could see nobody turned up and the lights weren't on. (It took us a while to realise the staff car park was empty too which should have made it obvious.)

We got an email about today at about 3pm yesterday so that was OK and another one at 3pm today to say they are open again tomorrow.

CrackerNut · 03/02/2009 18:21

Not great really.

Mine were in school on Monday and when we collected them on the afternoon there was no letter even suggesting if they'd be open today or not.

We had 3 websites (2 radio stations) and the council website who were all displaying a list of schools which would be closed and our school eventually appeared on the council one at about 5pm last night. It never appeared on either radio one, so wouldn't have been read out over the air either.

Have been checking the council site all day to see if they are open tommorow, and they have just announced that all schools are unless otherwise stated.

The school does have it's own website which went live in Sept. It hasn't been updated once since then, and still has homepage with the head teacher on who left at xmas .

dilemma456 · 03/02/2009 19:20

Message withdrawn

Wallace · 03/02/2009 19:23

Local radio and also a number to call (I think) but best of all they phone all the parents to let us know

dilemma456 · 03/02/2009 19:23

Message withdrawn

KerryMumbles · 03/02/2009 19:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LadyMuck · 03/02/2009 19:29

Crap.

I phoned on Monday to say we weren't going to be able to get there to discover that the school was closed. I know some folk had walked to school.

Monday evening I got a call asking me to contact 2 classes worth of parents to tell them that school would be closed today. This was be a member of the parents committee - apparently the school were only able to contact her to let everyone else know.

This afternoon I got the first contact from the school - a text to say that school would be open. However as I was with other families from school today I know that not everyone got one, so again have had to email a classworth of parents.

I suspect that if I were to be late in paying my fees they would be able to contact me.

pointydog · 03/02/2009 19:36

local radio announce closures

foxinsocks · 03/02/2009 19:37

Good

after the 7th july, I think their emergency contact system got far better.

Class reps pass out the closure details by text and the school emailed me.

They also have a website with the up to date info on. I was quite impressed actually.

Flocci · 03/02/2009 19:58

We just have to listen to the local radio, which BTW we can't seem to tune into.

I cannot believe that in this day and age this can'tbe more streamilned - email?? text message??? Or how about the school just leave their answerphone on with a message saying WE ARE CLOSED. Is that really so tricky?

Luckily they have a suggestions box, so I will be suggesting all of the above, because trying to guess and then having a wasted journey is pathetic.

catMandu · 03/02/2009 20:02

Banner headline on school website from 7.30am on Monday, with an update later in the day saying they'd be closed today. Also local radio announcement and radio website.

Not including all the Mum's who called anyway.

NorbertDentressangle · 03/02/2009 20:06

Ours uses a Message Line -you phone a number and type in the code for the school (once you've done this once it "recognises" your number so puts you straight through on any subsequent calls) -you then get a recorded message from the Head/Deputy telling you whats happening/whether the school will be closed or not.

wheresthehamster · 03/02/2009 20:09

We are told to listen to the local radio. On Monday dd1's school came up, then my school (although I get a phone call anyway), then dd3's school. Dd2's school came up but with the wrong town name so everyone was a bit unsure for a while.

Today, apart from me, we all assumed we were off and didn't bother checking Tomorrow I have to go in but will probably listen to the radio for the others as very icy so schools may vary. All dds will be sitting there with fingers crossed

stillenacht · 03/02/2009 20:10

cCrap too and this is from teacher perspective

I phoned the school at 8 and secretary said it was open.

DH drove to school - i was booked off for a hospital appointment with my youngest on Monday so i didn't need to worry(we teach at same school) (20 minute journey taking 1hour and 15 min) only to be told it was going to be closed.

They didn't even tell the teachers what was going on!

I just decided early Monday am that both DS's weren't going anywhere that day. (We live in a very isolated spot).

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